Born: c. 1869
Died: March 24, 1927
Married: yes
Children: Adelaide B. Merkel, born March 22, 1900
Joseph Merkel was a son of Isaac Merkel, of I. Merkel and Sons; he operated the family bottling business in the Saranac Lake. He was one of the original stockholders and directors of the Adirondack National Bank. He lived in Saranac Lake, where he served as Secretary of the Saranac Lake Driving Association . He moved to Allentown, Pennsylvania, in 1902.
Malone Farmer, July 18, 1900
Saranac Lake has a Klondike boom now in prospect. Timothy McCarthy, an old Cripple Creek prospector, some time ago found that the quartz and porphyry, of which Mount Pisgah, near Saranac Lake is composed, contained gold and silver and assays showed that the metals run from eight to sixteen dollars to the ton. Numerous veins run in various directions through the mountain. The claims of McCarthy have been verified, according to the Adirondack Enterprise, by M. E. McClary of Malone, and A. K. Botsford, of Saranac Lake, who, with McCarthy, filed mining claims with the government. They afterwards interested Edward Dobbins and Joseph Merkel in the enterprise and organized the Saranac Lake Mining Co. in May last. The mining rights on the property, which is owned by Robert Smith, have since been purchased, and work was begun last week Monday upon a horizontal tunnel into the cliff following one of the principal veins or leads. If the precious metals are found in sufficient quantities to make mining profitable, smelting works will be erected, It is proposed to take a carload of the ore to smelting works in New Jersey, and ascertain the actual mill run of the ore before attempting to develop the project.
Plattsburgh Sentinel, March 25, 1927
JOSEPH MERKEL DIES IN ALLENTOWN
Brother of David Merkel and Mrs. Henry Scheier Both of This City
Joseph Merkel, aged 58 years, a brother of David Merkel and Mrs.Henry Scheier [sic, but see his father's obituary where it appears as Schier] of this city died yesterday in Allentown, Pa., after a short illness of pneumonia.
Mr. Merkel was married 30years ago in Saranac Lake, where he was at the time in the bottling business. He later moved to Allentown where he resided until the time of his death.
He visited his brother and sister in Plattsburgh last summer as well as many other old acquaintances in this city.
He was the son of the late Mr. and Mrs. Isaac Merkel of this city.
The funeral services will be held Friday noon upon the arrival of the 1:34 Pennsylvania R. R. train in New York. The interment will be in Mount Hope cemetery, Brooklyn, N.Y.
Malone Farmer, April 6, 1927
DIED IN ALLENTOWN.
Joseph Merkel, until 25 years ago a resident of Saranac Lake, and who was one of the original stockholders and directors of the Adirondack National Bank, died this week at Allentown, Pa., where he had resided in recent years. He was 58 years of age and his death resulted from pneumonia. Mr. Merkel was well known in Malone and was a frequent visitor here during his residence at Saranac Lake. He was a native of Plattsburgh and was a brother of David Merkel, now a well known business man of that city. He is survived by his widow and one daughter Adelaide, of Allentown.
